Shoe-stretcher.



E. M. WHITNEY.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

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ERNEST M. WHITNEY, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SHOE-STRETOHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

Application filed March 10, 1913. Serial No. 753,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST M. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for stretching and shaping shoes, and has for its object to provide a stretcher constructed of a heel and toe member having rack bars and ratchet mechanism whereby the device may be readily extended to exert a gradual stretching action upon the shoe and locked at any degree of extension and after the stretching action has been accomplished to be as readily retracted and removed from the shoe.

A further object of the invention is to provide by such mechanism a stretcher adapted to receive a great degree of extending motion.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, illustrating my stretching device in the extended position and applied to a shoe, the latter being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section showing the overlapping ends of the rack bars and both the driving and idler gears intermeshing withand interposed be tween said bars. Fig. 4 is a modification showing the rack bars lying side by side instead of being one above the other and a rotatable instead of a reciprocable arm through which the same may be actuated. Fig. 5 is another modification illustrating but one of the bars as provided with teeth, the gear and ratchet mechanism being operatively mounted in the opposite bar.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the heel member which may beconstructed of metal cast into the desired shape to fit into the heel portion of any ordinary s e- As illustrated in Fig. 1 this heel member may be provided with forwardly extending lips 11 between which is pivotally held the end 12 of the forwardly extending rack bar 13 having teeth 14 formed on its lower edge. This rack bar is offset upwardly as at 15 to bring it into the desired position to engage the upper face of the operating gear presently to be described. The toe member 16 is also formed preferably of cast metal being preferably hollow on its under side as at 17 to remove the superfluous stock and render the same light in weight. Bosses 18, or side walls, are formed on either side of the center between which the forward end 20 of the rearwardly extending rack bar 19 is pivoted. This rack bar is provided with teeth 2]. on its upper face and is arranged to extend along beneath and in line with the heel rack bar 13, its end overlapping that of said latter bar. In order to provide a bearing for these bars to hold them in line with each other I have constructed a short casing or housing 22 made in halves forming substantially a rectangular box open at both ends, the inturned edges 23 of each half meeting in the center as illustrated in Fig. 2. A driving gear 24 is located in the middle of this housing, the same being interposed between the toothed edges of the opposite rack bars. This gear is mounted on the short shaft 25 which receives its bearings in the side walls of the said housing, one end of said shaft extending out through the housing and having keyed thereon a ratchet gear 26. In order to actuate this gear I have provided a lever 27 forked at its lower end, one branch 28 of the fork extending down and being journaled on one extending end of the gear shaft 25, the other branch 29 of the fork extending down on the opposite side and being journaled on the opposite extending end of said gear shaft 25. The yoke portion of this forked member is drilled and provided with a pawl 30 normally pressed downward by the spring 31 and provided with a pin 32 extending out through the slot 33 in the branch 29, whereby said pawl may be raised from engagement with the teeth of said ratchet wheel 26 when it is desired to contract or reduce the length of the stretcher. The outer end of the lever is provided with a suitable handle 34 which in this case is shown as a ball. The two branches 28 and 29 of the fork may be formed integral with the lever, if desired, and. may be sprung or bent slightly apart in order to position them over the ends of the shaft 25. In order to further support the rack bars in their housing and keep them in line with each other I have provided two idler gears 35 and 36 mounted on pins 37 and 38, which extend through the walls of the housing and may be riveted or otherwise secured in position to also serve as means to retain the two parts of the hous+ ing together.

In order to prevent a backward motion of the ratchet wheel 26 during a backward stroke of the operating lever, I have pivotally mounted pawl 39 on the housing and have provided the same with an outwardly extending handle 40 which serves a double purpose. First, to act by gravity to keep the pawl in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and second, to serve as a handle whereby the pawl may be readily removed from said ratchet when it is desired to contract, shorten or reduce the length of the stretcher.

In practical operation the device is contracted by raising both of the pawls 30 and 39 from engagement with the ratchet wheel 26 when the members of the stretcher may be pushed together to reduce the length of the same to the minimum. The device may then be placed in the shoe and by releasing the pawls and reciprocating the lever the device is extended until the toe member engages the end of the shoe, when by careful working of the lever the device may be extended slowly step by step to apply a gradual pressure to the shoe without danger of splitting or injuring the same. Again, by this construction of overlapping bars great adjustment may be obtained, thus a single stretcher may be employed in operating upon a great variety of diflerent sizes of shoes.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 4 is practically the same as that illustrated in the first three figures with the exception that the rack bars 41 and 42 are turned over and lie side by side instead of being superimposed one upon .the other, and in this construction instead of having a reciprocating lever the shaft 25 of the operating gear is extended and a comparatively long upwardly extending key or operating handle 43 is connected to said shaft to rotate the same, whereby the ratchet bars may be moved in opposite directions to regulate the length of the stretcher.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 5 shows one of the bars 44 as being pro- 1,osa,577

vided with teeth, the other bar 45 having an operating gear 46 mounted therein the same being adapted to be operated by means of a reciprocating handle 47 through the ac tion of pawls 48 and 49, but it will be seen, however, that by this construction the opening and closing movement of the parts will be but half as fast as that of the other constructions illustrated.

I claim:

1. A shoe stretcher comprising a heel and and means for actuating said mechanism and gear to extend and contract said stretcher.

3. A shoe stretcher comprising a heel and a toe member, a rack bar connected to each' and extending toward and overlapping one another, a gear interposed between and intermeshing with both bars, a pawl and ratchet mechanism connected to said gear, and a reciprocating lever for actuating gear to extend and contract said said mechanism and gear to extend and cOntract said stretcher.

4. A shoe stretcher comprising a heel and a toe member, a rack bar loosely connected to each and extending toward and overlapping one another, a casing through which both bars extend and receive their bearing, a gear rotatably mounted in said casing and interposed between and intermeshing with said bars, a pawl and ratchet mechanism connected to said gear, and a reciprocating lever for actuating said mechanism and gear to extend and contract said stretcher.

5. A shoe stretcher comprising a heel and a toe member, a rack bar loosely connected to each and extending toward and overlapping one another, a casing through which both bars extend and receive their hearing, a driving gear rotatably mounted in said casing interposed between and intermeshing with said bars, and an idler gear also rotatably mounted in said casing for engaging and alining said bars, a pawl and ratchet mechanism connected to said driving gear,

and a lever for actuating said mechanism and gear to extend and contract said stretcher. v

6. A shoestretcher comprising a heel and a toe member, a rack bar loosely connected to each and extendingtoward and overlapping one another, a casing through which and extend and contract said heel and toe both bars extend and receive their hearing, members. 10 a gear rotatably mounted in said casing and In testimony whereof I aflix my signature interposed between and intermeshing with in presence of two Witnesses.

said bars, an actuating lever ivoted in ERNEST M. WHITNEY. said casing, and a pawl and rate et mecha- Witnesses:

nism actuated by said lever for operating HOWARD E. BARLOW,

said gear to move said bars longitudinally E. I. OGDEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

